Baptized as a child; Aaronic Priesthood as a youth; Melchizedek Priesthood as a young man

Mission to Central States, 1914-1917

Married Camilla Eyring 1917; four children

Ordained Apostle and called to Quorum of the Twelve
1943-1973

Acting President of Quorum of the Twelve 1970-1972

President of Quorum of the Twelve 1972-1973

Twelfth President of the Church, 1973-1985

Received Revelation giving Priesthood to all worthy
males, 1978

Died 1985 Salt Lake City, Utah

Spencer Wooley Kimball, the twelfth President of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints proved a surprise and a
paradox to many throughout his life. Of short stature, he proved an able
athlete. Attaining the office of President late in life and with severe
health problems, his was expected to be a short tenured caretaker Presidency.
Instead, it lasted twelve years and made monumental achievements. This
man of peace, who always sought to smooth troubled waters, instead often
found himself embroiled in controversy and conflict.

Spencer was born March 28, 1895 in Salt Lake City
to Andrew Kimball, a son of Apostle Heber
C. Kimball, and Andrew's wife Olive Wooley Kimball. When Spencer was
three, the family moved to Thatcher, Arizona so that his father could
accept a call to serve as Stake President in the area. Thus Spencer grew
up in Arizona. He served a mission to the Central States and during the
latter half was called to preside over twenty-five Elders, all older than
himself.

Returning home, he married Camilla Eyring, a school
teacher, on November 16, 1917. They eventually had four children: Spencer
L., Olive Beth, Andrew E., and Edward L. Spencer. He worked in the fields
of banking and insurance, determined to remain self-employed for the flexibility
it gave him to tend to Church duties.

In 1943, after serving for years in Stake callings,
he was called to the Quorum of the Twelve. He felt woefully inadequate
and was depressed for days before receiving a confirmation that the calling
was of God. He sold his business, moved his family to Salt Lake City, and
at the October General Conference in 1943 received the sustaining vote
of the Church's membership and was that same day ordained an apostle by
President Heber J. Grant.

As a General Authority, President Heber J. Grant
gave him the responsibility of working with the Indian peoples. Appalled
by the poverty and hardship he saw, he first presided over the distribution
of welfare goods, then determined that any long term benefit must come
from the twin efforts of improvements to infrastructure in the Reservations
and improvement of education of the Native Americans. Elder Kimball developed
the Indian Student Placement Program which allowed worthy Indian students
to be placed in homes where they could receive an extended education. This
program was in place many years until improving conditions lessened its
need. He preached vigorously against racial prejudice.

Much of his time was spent counseling members with
various problems. His experience led him to write The Miracle of Forgiveness,
which has brought hope to millions and is a classic in Church literature.

Elder Kimball suffered a heart attack in 1948 and
throat cancer a few years later. Removal of most of his vocal cords left
him with a distinctive weak, raspy voice. In 1972 he underwent open-heart
surgery to replace an obstructed artery and a failing valve.

Thus when, with the death of President Harold
B. Lee in 1973, Spencer W. Kimball was sustained as President of the
Church, most observers expected a short, uneventful, caretaker Presidency.
Another surprise! Among the achievements of President Kimball's administration
were almost doubling the membership of the Church, granting the Priesthood
to all worthy members, articulating for the first time the Three-fold Mission
of the Church, organizing the First Quorum
of the Seventy for the first time since the days of Joseph
Smith, establishing operating Areas and Area Presidencies to decentralize
Church government, establishing the three-hour Block Meeting Schedule,
and increasing the operating temples from fifteen to thirty-one.

If Grampa Bill may be excused for sharing a short
personal experience with President Kimball, Elder Kimball at the time...
Sitting outside the office of the Patriarch to the Church, Eldred
G. Smith, while my parents received their Patriarchal Blessings, Gramma
Letty and I were greeted by a short man who came running up the stairs
of the Old Church Office Building. He introduced himself as Elder Kimball
and asked if he could be of any assistance. We explained that we were waiting
while the Patriarch talked to my parents. He laughed and told us we might
have quite a wait as Patriarch Smith sometimes talked for hours. Assured that we were okay, he resumed his run up the stairs. Eventually,
the conversations and blessings were over and Patriarch Smith accompanied
my parents to the door. When we told of having met Elder Kimball, it was
the Patriarch's turn to laugh. He explained that Elder Kimball was not
afraid of elevators but would never enter one unless it was on his floor
with the door open. He simply did not have time to wait. Yet he had time
to check on two strangers to see if we needed his help.

On November 5, 1985, at age ninety, President Kimball
died in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was succeeded as Church President by
Ezra Taft Benson.

Bibliography
David Mitchell, “President Spencer W. Kimball Ordained Twelfth President of the Church,” Ensign, Feb. 1974, p.2
Neal A. Maxwell, “Spencer, the Beloved: Leader-Servant,” Ensign, Dec. 1985, p.8
“Milestones in the Life and Administration of President Spencer W. Kimball,” Ensign, Dec. 1985, p.10Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Vol.2, KIMBALL, SPENCER W.
Lawrence R. Flake, Prophets and Apostles of the Last Dispensation, pp.113-1222005 Church Almanac, p.55
Selected Discourses and Writings
Grampa Bill believes this to be the most complete link listing available of President Spencer W. Kimball's talks and articles on the web. Please email the Grampa if you note any broken links, errors, or if you are aware of any Spencer W. Kimball talks or articles not listed here but available on the web.

You will note that some are available only as text; some are available only in the MP3 format; while still others are avaible in both text and MP3.

Talks marked with an asterisk (*) are not (to my knowledge) available anywhere else on the web. As a service, they have been copied onto this web site.

Bewildered and Shocked *Note: This is the first address given by Elder Spencer W. Kimball in General Conference following being sustained as an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.

"Becoming the Pure in Heart"Note: In this landmark address, President Kimball articulated, for the first time, the three-fold mission of the Church. It is considered a watershed discourse in Church history.

"The Lord Expects Righteousness"Note: This is the last address given by President Spencer W. Kimball in General Conference prior to his death. He lived another three years, but health precluded him ever again visiting with and personally addressing the Saints in General Conference.